1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of decorative balloons.
2. The Prior Art
The use of decorative polymeric balloons and particularly polymeric balloons adapted to be filled with helium is well known. Typically such balloons are comprised of a pair of Mylar films heat-sealingly connected along a continuous line defining the balloon body and inflation stem. The stem includes a filling aperture enabling insertion of the stem over the nozzle of a helium dispenser. Typically the exterior of the balloon is coated with a reflective decorative metallic film. A multiplicity of the balloons are shipped flatwise.
For use, the balloon is inflated through the stem and a transverse heat seal formed across the stem to contain the helium filling. Thereafter a string or ribbon is tied to the stem to form a tether.
The operation of tying individual strings or ribbons to the stem represents a time consuming element of the preparation of filled balloons. Since it is not unusual to require a multiplicity of balloons to be filled and supplied in short periods of time, the operation of manually applying tethers has heretofore represented a bottleneck in the procedure, the problem being exacerbated by the fact that filling is often accomplished in gift shops or like small establishments utilizing unskilled labor. Moreover, the tying operation is rendered more difficult by the tendency
of the filled balloons to rise, requiring the operator to stabilize the balloons with one hand and knot the tether with the other.